BOSTON (WHDH) - Authorities have launched an investigation after dive teams recovered the body of a man who fell into the Charles River in Boston on Wednesday.
Boats, dive teams, and a helicopter were called to the area of the Boston University boathouse and pedestrian bridge just after 11 a.m. for a report of a person struggling to stay afloat in the water, according to a Massachusetts State Police spokesman.
The man, who was later identified as a 41-year-old man believed to be homeless, was found about two hours later in 12 feet of water.
Firefighters from Boston and Cambridge assisted state police with the search.
Good Samaritans Hannah Cashen and Robert Carey spotted the man in distress, took a boat from the university’s pavilion, and rushed out into the water in an attempt to rescue him.
“I saw a guy in the water, partially submerged, waving his arms and kind of bobbing up and down,” Cashen said. “I stopped because it looked kind of weird because you don’t swim in the Charles.”
Carey added, “We didn’t see him much after we launched the boat. I’m not sure we even saw him while we were in the water.”
Cashen says she wish she could have done more to save the man’s life.
“Honestly, I wish I had figured it out faster and jumped in sooner,” she said. “It was just so out of place and odd.”
Boston fire officials say Cashen and Carey were able to provide rescue crews with information on the victim’s last known location.
No foul play is suspected at this time.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS for updates online and on-air.
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